Dir. Serge Bozon, 2017, 96 min, DCP
With Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris
In French with English subtitles

This loose adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde finds Isabelle Huppert breaking with her commanding image to play Mme. Géquil, a meek physics teacher who undergoes a mysterious transformation after being struck by lightning at a high school in a tough Paris suburb.

While the films emphasis on atmosphere over splashy effects evokes chillers of the golden era of B movies, this paean to education is decidedly contemporary in its offbeat humor and unflinching presentation of challenges facing the French nation and its school system.